Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Back to the Nexus 7, which has had a giant leap in terms of specifications. We're talking about improvements in virtually all areas, and some great new features and uses for the Nexus 7. We'll start with the new specifications of the Nexus 7.

Starting with the display, we have a slightly larger 7.02-inch display and by slightly, we mean it. That's an increase of just 0.2 inches, which is negligible, but it has to be mentioned. Better yet, the resolution of the display has been amplified from 1280x800 to 1920x1200 - yes, higher than Full HD, on a 7-inch slate.

Inside the device, we find it has an updated processor, Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC (the APQ8064-1AA), which is a 1.5GHz quad-core processor. Enjoying the Nexus 7 lunch with the Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC is 2GB of DDR3L RAM, which helps massively with multitasking. Now consider that ASUS and Google moved from the NVIDIA Tegra SoC to a Qualcomm Snapdragon, and doubled the RAM - this makes the refreshed Nexus 7 one of the fastest Android-powered devices on the market.

Filling out the specs, we have an upgraded internal flash storage starting size of 16GB (up from 8GB) and a maximum of 32GB (up from 16GB). We finally have a rear-facing camera which is a very-capable 5-megapixel shooter with autofocus, and the front-facing camera stays at 1.2 megapixels.

We have Wi-Fi in the form of 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC support. The refreshed 7-inch slate also includes wireless charging support, which is always a bonus. There's also a new 4G LTE model, which is quite a bit more expensive than the Wi-Fi-only models, too. It would have been nice to see 802.11ac added, but it wasn't to be.

As for pricing, we're looking at $229 and $269 for the Wi-Fi-only 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. If you want some 4G LTE goodness, you're going to be paying for it. It jumps right up to $349, which is a bit insane. I used a Galaxy S4 to tether to the Nexus 7, giving me 4G without having yet another SIM card and that associated added expense.

Availability on the refreshed Nexus 7 is good, but there are some countries and states within countries that aren't getting too much stock right now. This is improving with every day that passes.

Manufactured by Taiwan’s Wistron Corporation, the Hudl delivers a reasonably impressive spec list, certainly for its £119 price-tag. The 7-inch (diagonal) IPS LCD screen features an adequate 1440 x 900 HD resolution (242 ppi), and all this is underpinned by 16GB of internal storage, a 1.5GHz A9 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM.

Juxtapose this against the Nexus 7, and you start to get a flavor of the level of bang you’re getting for your Hudl buck.

Indeed, the new 16GB Nexus 7 sports a marginally bigger 7.02-inch screen, with 1920 x 1200 HD display (323 ppi), and is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, and 2GB of RAM. While the Hudl has a 2MP front-facing camera and a 3MP rear-facing camera, the Nexus 7 has 1.2MP and 5MP respectively.

In terms of size, the Hudl is 128.8mm x 192.8mm x 9.85mm, compared to the 114mm x 200mm x 8.65 mm of the Nexus 7. So overall, the Hudl is slightly taller and thicker, but not quite as wide. And on the scales, the Hudl weighs in at 370g, compared to the 290g of Google’s tablet.

Given the Nexus 7 will set you back £199, you could be forgiven for thinking that the extra £80 you’re paying is going on the aforementioned spec-enhancements, but the Hudl actually has a few tricks of its own up its sleeve. These come in the form of a micro-SD slot that lets you expand the storage up to 48GB in total and – drum roll – a Micro-HDMI slot. Yes, you can hook your Hudl up to your TV and watch movies stored on your device, or stream from Tesco-owned Blinkbox, Google Play or any other similar service.

This is actually a very deliberate move on Tesco’s behalf – it’s trying to appeal to the general populace, and through bypassing the need to stream through other third-party boxes, it has made it easier for its tablet to become a feature in livingrooms across the nation.

It’s also worth mentioning the 16GB Kindle Fire HD here, which actually costs the same as the Hudl through Tesco. There are comparisons to be made for sure, but given Amazon’s reliance on its own app ecosystem, and it doesn’t serve up access to the likes of Google Maps and the Gmail app, it feels more natural to compare the Hudl with the Nexus 7.

The latest generation iPod Shuffles manufactured by Apple is expertly waterproofed by AudioFlood. This device that comes with a built in clip can be easily attach the iPod to your goggle strap (when swimming) or to your shirt collar, or even to work out clothes without having the worries of the device getting wet with your own sweat while working out. With regular playtime, it lasts for about 15 hours of battery life and has ample storage for approximately 500 songs (for a 2GB capacity). The device’s VoiceOver button is also tell able you song title as well as the playlist name or even its battery status.

The AudioFlood Waterproof iPod Shuffle is the only device with a true short cord waterproof headphones that you can find in the market. With this feature, the user does not have to worry of excess dangling cord that annoyingly tangles or sometimes even dragged in the water. Its large speakers deliver a better sound quality and also includes six soft rubber ear piece options to makes sure to find a perfect fit. The Headphones has an extension cable if in any case that you would want to use them as standard length headphones.

PROS

Great and durable quality

Unique waterproofing process made it one of the highest rated waterproof MP3 players in the market

Excellent sound quality

Impervious to chlorine and salt water

Short cord headphones make it convenient to use while swimming

Long battery life (15 hours)

Genuine 5th generation (newest) Apple iPod shuffle

Built in clip allows the device to be easily attached anywhere

Can store approximately 500 songs on a 2GB storage

Six ear piece options available to find perfect fit

Extension cable available for other uses aside from swimming

CONS

Ear bud holders are a bit bulky but minimally burdensome

The AudioFlood Waterproof iPod Shuffle is an easy choice for a waterproof MP3 player. What makes it ahead from other waterproof players in the market is its unique waterproofing processes, where they have completely encapsulated the electronic components in sealant. The inside of the shuffles are entirely filled with sealant resulting in no voids or empty air spaces so there is no way for water to access the electrical components.

When the Tolino Vision leaked last month on a design website, all I had to prove this 6″ ereader existed was a product render and a short blurb, but no real details on the price, specs, or release date.

Today I don’t have much more in the way of information but I do have some evidence that the Tolino Vision is going to launch soon.

Johannes Haupt of lesen.net has discovered several product listings for accessories for the Vision, including cases and a screen protector. There was no listing for the Vision itself, and what little detail we have on the accessories does not include anything useful about the tablet, but at the very least we now know that this ebook reader exists.

I have embedded 3 of the product photos below. I had to copy them from the Google Cache because the listings were removed nearly as fast as they went up.

The Tolino Vision is probably going to launch in Germany some time in the next month. It will be carried by all of the members of the Tolino consortium, a motley bunch of tech companies and retailers that collectively claim the second largest share of the German ebook market after Amazon.

The Canon VIXIA HF R500 Digital Camcorder is a compact camera that weighs approximately 10.1 ounces including its BP-718 battery, memory card and grip belt. From its size and weight, it makes it very convenient to bring it along wherever you go. It features a 57x Advanced Zoom that marked the upgrade from previous the model. Users will certainly experience enhanced the image quality along with its dual function capabilities with live streaming and high-quality remote monitoring. It also has a SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization, and a three-inch capacity touch panel LCD on a fast and intuitive interface.

The SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization is a really useful feature of the Canon VIXIA HF R500. What it does is that it corrects camera shakes almost instantly, which makes it very ideal for those who does not have steady hands (more likely not a pro). Hence, even if a handheld video is taken at long focal lengths it will appear to be sharp and steady. This Dynamic Image Stabilization system of this camcorder stabilizes rotational camera shake where the entire zoom range will also be continuously adjusted, making corrections to a broad range of motion.

PROS

Lightweight and small (easy to bring when traveling)

Capacitive 3″ LCD Touch Panel Display

DIGIC DV 4 Image Processor

Canon 3.28MP Full HD CMOS Sensor

Supports AVCHD & MP4 Recording Formats

Advanced Baby Mode

57x Advanced Zoom

Records up to 1920 x 1080 in 60 fps HD Video

Intelligent IS with Four Shooting Modes

SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization

Smart AUTO & Audio Scene Select

With SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot

With microphone input and headphone jack (also with HDMI, USB and A/V terminal)

High-capacity battery pack (BP-718)

CONS

No Built-in Light/Flash

No Wi-Fi capability

The best feature of the Canon VIXIA HF R500 Digital Camcorder would be its ability to control the horizontal, vertical and roll axis rotational camera shakes. This enables any user to get a smooth and distortion-free video – even when you’re walking while shooting.